Codeway

From "bringing help" to "bringing development", while promoting sustainable economic growth, social inclusion, and local equity. International cooperation is steadily going this direction, but in countries where the social and economic burden of illiteracy hits hard and the educational gap is enormous, the pursuit of these objectives cannot be separated from the promotion of those activities aimed at spreading universal education and of high added value training programs. This was the key focus opening the last day of Codeway Expo, the Fiera Roma international event dedicated to Development Cooperation. The conference, co-organized with Enel Foundation, scientific partner of the event, focused on the importance of developing high-level profiles, training the necessary skills that may lead the African continent to make the hoped for leap in quality, essential to achieve the sustainable future of the professionals of the African countries, unlocking all the benefits that the ecological transition brings with itself.

"We are convinced - said Carlo Papa, Managing Director of the Enel Foundation - of the importance of training as the real pillar of sustainable development and we are ready to converge with institutions and individuals, to increase the impact of all initiatives in the field". The panel speakers, be they either institutions, or profit and non-profit actors of development or proceeding from the academic world, all agreed on the crucial importance of working on the reform of the educational systems, on the dissemination of training, developing teaching techniques and tools. All emphasized the concept of give-back, which means that those who benefited training opportunities for their own personal growth may, in return, pour the new acquired skills onto the economic and social fabric of their local community, to create a triggering lever for a change and for a sustainable development of peoples.

The morning of the closing day also hosted the appointment dedicated to the Ukraine emergency, organized by the Emilia-Romagna Region Coordination. The event showed the efforts and best practices implemented by the Italian regional system to deal with this dramatic crisis. "It emerged with evidence - underlined the coordinator of Codeway Expo Wladimiro Boccali - that also on this occasion Regions and local authorities of Italy have proved to be fundamental in setting up dedicated cooperation projects, in a supporting spirit offering significant examples of 'aiding from below' ".

The cycle of meetings of IILA, the Italo-Latin American International Organization within the framework of Codeway ended with the review of cooperation projects in the field. Cultural Secretary Jaime Nualart spoke of culture as a transversal element of all sectors of Cooperation, illustrating IILA’s training courses, the awards in support of Latin American creative industries and the events aimed at raising awareness of the culture of Latin American countries in Italy. Space cooperation, telemedicine, STEAM projects, humanitarian demining and scholarships were the activities illustrated by the Technical-Scientific Secretary Ribeiro Viana, who emphasized the will of this sector to keep up with the times, opening up to new themes, such as diplomacy in the space field, taking up the great challenges of the moment.
The meeting was concluded by the Socio-Economic Secretary Canahuati who highlighted the projects in her sector relating to sustainable tourism and the participation of IILA in the main Italian trade fairs, to encourage the exchange of good practices and experiences between Italian and Latin American SMEs. Finally, Canahuati stressed the great importance of IILA as a tool at the service of Latin America and the Caribbean to strengthen the partnership between Italy and the region.

The final appointment of Codeway 2022 focused on the challenge of ecological transition in emerging countries, pointing out the difficult balance between economic development, sustainability, and environmental protection. "The challenge of the 2030 Agenda - explained Roberto Colaminé, Deputy Director DGCS Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation - does not only concern ecology: the idea of ​​a new, circular economy, respectful of human value is the true heart of the effort of bringing the profit and non-profit worlds closer together". Colaminé underlined how Italian cooperation wants to accompany emerging countries on the path sustainable development.
Luca Maestripieri, director of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (Aics), stressed the need for concerted actions to operate in partner countries. “It is essential that training, as well as the agency’s know-how at entrepreneurial level, are made available in projects carried out in the most difficult contexts,” he said. The professionals and all actors of development must "be able to find a way to pool public resources with private funding, in order to create the conditions for pursuing the objectives of the United Nations 2030 Agenda" he concluded. The other protagonists of the table were: Giorgio Barbaglia, Head of Renewable Energy Africa, DREAM Program, Community of Sant'Egidio, Michael Riedi, Senior Analyst of Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, Silvio Gentile, CEO of Green Utility SpA and Daniele Gizzi, Head of Environment and Circular Economy at Confartigianato Imprese. All unanimously agreed on the concept that "despite the hysteria of the moment", the 'right' ecological transition undertaken, the run-up to renewable technologies, the path towards decarbonization may perhaps momentarily slow down, yet they will not be interrupted. Such thing according to a choice that is not only ethical and sustainable but also economically strategic.